AniFem Round-Up
The Strongest Magician in the Demon Lord’s Army was a Human – Episode 1
Summer is kicking off with yet another dark fantasy about an OP protagonist.
Suicide Squad ISEKAI – Episodes 1-3
It might turn out to be writing thematic checks it can’t cash, but Suicide Squad ISEKAI is still a fun action comedy in the meantime.
My Wife Has No Emotion – Episode 1
There’s a very timely conversation to be had about the persistent linking of service AI and femininity. But this show’s only thought appears to be “robot girl cute.”
What’s your most anticipated Summer 2024 anime?
Whether it’s new titles or sequels.
June 2024 Patron Newsletter and Recommendations
Check out what the team is up to and get bonus recommendations.
Beyond AniFem
The Anime Nostalgia Podcast – ep 132: Tokyo Babylon with Lucy & Robin of CLAMPCast in Wonderland (Anime Nostalgia Podcast, Dawn H.)
Podcast discussion of the original manga and the OVA.
For June, I’m discussing one of my favorite shoujo manga: CLAMP’s Tokyo Babylon! So of course, I had to recruit Lucy & Robin of the wonderful CLAMPcast in Wonderland to help me do an extra long deep dive of this bold & stylish, supernatural queer cult classic: What makes it so special, why it being “problematic” is actually important, how it’s themes & story elements are still relevant over 30 years later, and most importantly: THE FASHION! We discuss the basics of the characters and story up until the SPOILERS, which start around 1:50:00. Enjoy!
Tadaima, Okaeri Anime Series Review (Anime News Network, Rebecca Silverman)
The omegaverse BL just finished airing.
This theme of discrimination quietly snakes through the series. We see it in both husbands’ families – Masaki’s is more subtly upset by his marriage, since they had basically picked out a different, “safer,” spouse for him – but most solidly in a late-series storyline about Hikari befriending another little boy. Hikari and Michiru meet at a park and become fast friends when Hikari thinks Michiru’s cowlick looks like a tomato stem (this show gets the weirdness of little kids very right), and Masaki also becomes friendly with the little boy’s father. They’ve recently moved to the area following the death of his wife, and Mr. Mochizuki is relieved to meet another omega. He knows that Masaki is married, but he assumes that Hiromu is also an omega, because that’s how things are “supposed” to work, and his late wife was an omega as well. When he discovers that Hiromu is an alpha and that Hikari is as well, he panics and attempts to cut off all communication, which of course means separating two toddlers who don’t understand why they aren’t allowed to be friends any more.
If you’ve ever experienced this sort of discrimination, the whole thing is horribly familiar. Hikari has been raised by two adoring parents, has won over his prickly grandfather, and his sunny personality has allowed him to make friends wherever he goes. Michiru is the best friend he made for himself, a person he loves, and even if he did understand the whole alpha/omega distinction, his parents are proof that it doesn’t matter. Michiru, on the other hand, shows more familiarity with his father’s fear, showing what Masaki likely went through as a child; even at age two or three, he understands that he’s somehow different and must be protected. It isn’t until he sees Hikari break down in tears that he starts to rebel, asserting himself for what appears to be the first time. He’s learning that things can, and should, change, and that more than anything helps to drive home the series’ message that fear has to take a back seat to love.
Pets OK, No Foreigners: The Reality of Housing Discrimination in Japan (Unseen Japan, Jay Allen)
Examining recent news stories as well as stories from readers.
More than a few readers also said they were allowed to apply for an apartment. However, the realtor and landlord made it clear that it was only because they fulfilled certain conditions – i.e., they were neither Korean nor Chinese. That’s sadly not surprising, given longstanding racial prejudices against both nationalities.
“When I moved to Yokohama 8 years ago, I found a good place but was told that they didn’t accept foreigners,” says user @Kohakunai. “For some reason the owner called back and he clarified that I, as an American, was welcome. Just not Chinese or Korean people. I did not accept that apartment.”
Another reader, James Smith, said he’s seen the same thing. “Going through all the paperwork, only to be told no foreigners in the end. Asking if I was a naturalized citizen or permanent resident; asking if I had a Japanese partner, etc. Some landlords were ok with westerners, but not ok with SEA [Southeast Asian] foreigners.”
Denied despite good jobs
We heard from another user (who wishes to remain anonymous), a Filipino national married to a Vietnamese woman, about the discrimination that other Asians face firsthand:
“We looked for ads that specifically stated “foreigners welcome” to prevent any potential friction. I think it was either a mansion in Kunitachi or Kitami that we applied for where we got up to the screening phase with the landlord and were declined. The real estate agent we were speaking with indicated that the landlord preferred that “白人” [hakujin; white people] rent their property.”
The Infamous Rumiko Takahashi “Quote” (Rumic World, Dylan Acres and Harley Acres)
Hunting down the source of the apocryphal story of Takahashi being asked about Ranma possibly getting pregnant.
Takahashi was not asked this question in a public setting, nor for a published interview. We don’t say this to doubt the veracity of the quote, but to say that the way it was worded was not necessarily for public consumption and is being presented secondhand in an annecdotal manner by someone who was at times seen as a provocative figure in the manga/anime English translation community at the time. It stands to reason this isn’t a quote that is necessarily for public consumption, but is also a question that hopefully no self-respecting fan would ever truly ask Takahashi. Ledoux even goes out of the way to phrase the handful of questions she asked as “otaku” questions. I think in the 2020’s we would call these “weeaboo” questions given their cringe-inducing nature. It may be worth asking ourselves, “is this a disrespectful question?” “should fans pause before considering things like this?”, and “how are questions like this interpreted by the author?”
Why has this quote gained so much traction amongst American fandom over the decades? Is it because it is naughty, wicked, or slightly perverse? It represents a vulgarity that is nonexistent in Takahashi’s original manga. We’ve long believed that fans who were curious or interested in this particular question were looking for something not present in the work, or something that could be found in a Takahashi imitator like Hiroshi Aro’s Futaba-kun Change (ふたば君チェンジ).
Crunchyroll Adds Go! Princess Precure, Witchy Pretty Cure! Series (Anime News Network, Rafael Antonio Pineda)
These two series aired in 2015 and 2016.
Crunchyroll added the Go! Princess Precure and Witchy Pretty Cure! (Maho Girls Precure!) anime to its catalog on Sunday.
The Go! Princess Precure TV anime’s story is set in Noble Academy, the first boarding junior high school in the Precure franchise. The anime depicts the excitement of dorm life, coming of age while living with friends, and the anticipation and anxiety of a new life among roommates, separated from family.
One day, the “Princess Precures” were revived by the Princess Perfume devices (and Kanata’s dress-shaped “Dress-Up Key” that unlocks the Princess Perfume’s power), and Haruka transforms into the flower princess Cure Flora. When unleashing their special signature moves, the Princess Precures’ outfits turn into magnificent princess-like Mode Elegant long dresses.
VIDEO: The discourse of “media literacy” and its relationship in particular to romance fiction.
VIDEO: A josei manga starter pack.
VIDEO: The manifold queer elements of the 90s Sailor Moon anime.
VIDEO: Discussion of the first half of Hot Gimmick.
REEL: Behind-the-scenes video about the animation workflow on Sailor Moon.
AniFem Community
If nothing else, we have the return of the superhero magical girl this season.
That’s a tough one! I mean… if I had to choose, it’s kind of a tie between My Deer Friend Nokotan, Grendizer U, and VTuber Legend. All three look like they’d be fun summer shows. The last one, if only because the main character seems like a Mood (TM)
[image or embed]— Anime Herald (@animeherald.com) Jul 2, 2024 at 2:58 PM
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